New information on the underwater environment in the Finnish coastal areas

The underwater conditions of the Bay of Bothnia are unique, and up until now very little has been known about this part of Finnish nature. The inventories of the recently completed FINMARINET project showed that aquatic bryophyte species, water mosses, classified as regionally threatened in the Bay of Bothnia, such as Platyhypnidium riparioides and Fissidens fontanus, in fact form extensive underwater mats, which provide benthic organisms with shelter and food. Previously, very little information has been available on the distribution of water mosses.